I got a call from Alex this morning informing me that they had special visitors at the school and her dance team would be doing a special performance. Of course, she had no idea what time that would happen. I hadn't showered and my driver wasn't picking me up until 11:30. I missed the performance. They do a lot of flying by the seat of their pants at that school!
At one point today Alex was playing games on my iPhone and before I realized it there were about eight kids crowded around her trying to see. I know families before us must have come in with iPhones, but none of the kids seemed to know exactly what it was. One boy from Alex' class (the one I want to squish into my luggage) didn't believe her when she told him it was a phone. As I looked at the faces of the kids surrounding Alex I didn't recognize any of them as being NHFC host kids, so I guess if they've never been hosted then there would be no reason for most of them to have seen one before. iPhones are not very popular here. I don't know why it struck me as being odd, but it did.
Alex' roommate & BFF, Violetta, finally broke down and told her teacher about her tooth that needed to come out. They took her to the dentist this morning and had it pulled. She spent the rest of the morning in the infirmary, but I saw her later this afternoon. I gave her a big hug and asked how her mouth was. She tried to give a little smile, but I could tell she was in a lot of pain. Did I mention I have a pretend list of kids I want to squish into my luggage? Violetta's at the top of the list.
I got another "Hi, Susan" from the squishable boy in Alex' class. He had been standing *right next to me* when he was watching Alex play an iPhone game and he didn't say a word to me. It wasn't until he was walking up the stairs and away from me that he called out to me. I am going to make it my mission to get that kid to look me in the eyes to say hi over the next few days.
Five more days. Then my nice, calm, peaceful routine will turn into paper chasing. Looking forward to it. :)
Is Violetta on the hosting list? I assume not.
ReplyDeleteShe is actually in the Spanish program. She would really like to come to America, but wasn't given a choice as to which program she would like to be in.
ReplyDeleteDoes your iphone work as a phone there? I just got one and wonder if I can use it on our next trip. When you use the internet (3g or wifi) does it charge your account extra for being way over there?
ReplyDeleteIm sorry you missed the dance show. I was hoping to see a show while I was over there too, but wasnt ever invited to one, bummer. Maybe they'll do one when y'all leave? Time is ticking!!!
I keep the phone on airport mode. My husband said the charges to use it as a phone would be insane. I do have WiFi in my apartment so I can check e-mail and use the internet when I am here without being charged extra. My husband had purchased a Skype phone number and then forwarded all his business calls from his iPhone to the Skype number. Then he was able to call from Skype to Skype to check messages.
ReplyDeleteSOrry you missed the dance performance, but yay for that bad tooth coming out!
ReplyDeleteSkype to Skype on the computer? I assume the data charges for the phone would be insane too. I didn't think about the WiFi aspect but that could be useful on my Android.
ReplyDeleteIf you are using an aircard then Skype will burn through data very quickly. On WiFi Skype to Skype is free. I believe Skype to an 800 number is free as well.
ReplyDeleteWiFi or general internet access is the key. With that, you can Skype to your heart's content...
ReplyDeleteSkype to Skype is free. Skype to toll free numbers is free. Skype to US land lines and cell numbers will cost you but very little (like 2-15 cents a minute).
A few options to consider if you do not have internet access (and you really just never know if you will have it or not. It's a crap shoot)-
I had purchased international data roaming for my iPhone before we left. This cost about $200 but gave me 200 mb of data. I did not use much as we wound up with internet access at the apartment. However, this can be an ok option for simple email access and facebook updates...
You can use the in country air card as well (prob. a cheaper option).
Skype will burn through air card data REALLY fast if you use video. Using just voice reduces the data burn rate drastically.
For voice (assuming no internet access/Skype), you can turn on international voice roaming on the iPhone (this is not the same as international data roaming).
With this, voice calls to the US will cost about $2.25 per minute.
If you do not turn on international voice roaming, you can still call the US in an emergency but it will cost about $3.50 per minute...